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Career Advancement: Advance Your Career Using Lifelong Learning, Part 2

Career Advancement with Lifelong Learning, Part 2

Career Advancement – today we have the second post in this series from Tamara M. Williams. Tamara publishes articles in topics such as Software and Marketing on EzineArticles which can be found here

Career Advancement – in Part 1 of my article, I explained that Lifelong Learning is required in order to advance your career. I identified learning through Company Training and Industry Training. It is always best to ask your employer first about these options and ensure that the training is related to your current work. Of course, Industry Training can be pursued independently if you wish to attain training related to a future career. Some employees do not offer training or may offer only on the job training so you have to get qualifications on your own. In this article, I plan to discuss College or University degrees and studying from Free Online Courses.

Community College or University Degrees

You can pursue numerous academic degrees at various community colleges or universities. Ask your employer if they offer educational loans to ease your financial burden. If they don’t offer assistance, you should apply for loans or scholarships directly from your target community college or university. When you have completed your degree, you should find out if you can negotiate increased wages and benefits at work. You could also decide to gain a degree unrelated to your current work and use it as a stepping stone into a new career.

Free Online Courses

If you are not able to access finances to pay for your tuition then you can still learn by taking free online courses. Some colleges and universities offer open courses which are free to the public. Some examples are Harvard Open Courses for Free, MIT OpenCourseWare, OpenLearn – Open University. Courses are offered in a variety of subjects such as Business and Management, Computer Science, Food and Nutrition and Social Sciences.

You will not receive a degree or certification from most free courses but the knowledge and skills gained are still worthwhile. This is also a great way to try various courses so that you can decide what you are really interested in. That way, you can decide what you really like before actually spending your money and time on getting a degree.

Remember, you should always examine your career by determining your current level of expertise. Then seek further knowledge, skills and experiences so that you can switch jobs or climb the corporate ladder. You can do this by attending company and industry training sessions, pursuing academic degrees or participating in free online courses. This will ensure that you move ahead in your current career or start the journey on a new career. You need to put your own career first because no one else will do it for you.

About the Author:

Tamara M. Williams encourages you to contact your nearest Career Center or a Life & Career Coach for more assistance. Tamara publishes articles in topics such as Software and Marketing on EzineArticles which can be found here.